The present invention relates to a storage and transportation unit for receiving machining tools for machine tools particularly machining centres. The unit is mobile and can be used to store the machining tools inside and outside the machine tools and also for transporting the machining tools to and from the machine tools.
It is necessary when machine tools, particularly numerically controlled machine tools and machining centres are in use to make the tools required for machining the workpieces available in such a way that a machining sequence is ensured with a minimum of idle time. Accordingly it is known to house the tools in a tool store associated with the machine tools, from where they can be inserted into the machine tool in a predetermined program sequence using a handling device and following use can be returned to the store.
Each tool store has a specific storage capacity depending upon its design and construction. The number of tools housed therein is normally sufficiently large that the number of tools is adequate for machining a large number of workpieces. However, cases constantly arise where the number of machining tools is not sufficient and therefore additional tools must be used. The latter can be made available in different ways, e.g. by replacing individual tools within the tool store either manually or by means of a loading and unloading arm, or by a partial or complete replacement of the tools in the tool store.
However, an at least partial new occupancy of the tool locations within a tool store is also necessary when the need arises for machining a new workpiece.
The tools are generally centrally stored, where they are prepared and brought together. For transportation to the machine tools use is made of transportation units, in which the tools are arranged in a specific sequence. The tools are brought by means of these transportation units to the individual machine tools and the transportation units can also serve as storage units.
However, it is still desirable to make the storage capacity of the tool store associated with the machine tool sufficiently large that virtually all the machining operations for a workpiece which occur can be performed without any further tool change. However, in the known tool stores considerable effort and expenditure are involved in increasing the storage capacity. In the case of disk magazines, several disks are superimposed, whereas in the case of chain magazines parallel chains are juxtaposed. Another solution comprises loading the store by using a portal loader. Although these measures lead to an increase in the storage capacity, they either involve a considerable additional time and space requirement and/or involve a complicated construction.
In the aforementioned copending application, Ser. No. 115,770 which has been allowed, a tool store is described, which has a high storage capacity, the rapid tool change being achieved by different means and in the sense of supplementing the present invention, reference is made to said application. One of these means is the use of a tool magazine as a support for a plurality of tools.